


Into the Hand of a Woman III

by Daegaer



Series: Into the Hand of a Woman [3]
Category: Tanakh
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Motherhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-02-19
Packaged: 2017-11-29 20:44:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/691257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice. . ."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into the Hand of a Woman III

**Author's Note:**

  * For [opalmatrix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalmatrix/gifts).



Yarikh-ahavah the mother of Sisera sat by her window, looking out towards the land of the Hebrews. The day was hot, even now the sun came down in the sky. All day she had prayed, offering cakes to the Queen of Heaven, and promising lambs to the Lord Hadad for the safety of her son. 

"Battles are not things of a moment, madam," the oldest of her maidservants said. "Surely the chariots are laden with spoil and go slowly on the road."

"Yes," Yarikh-ahavah said. "Surely it is as you have said." She leant forward, bracing her hands on the window sill as she saw a man come up the broad street on which the houses of the nobles were built. His light leather armour was torn, and though he seemed to wish to run, his steps dragged and he staggered from side to side. _Is this not a man with news of the battle?_ she thought.

"What news?" she cried out. "Where is the commander of the chariots? Is the young man Sisera safe?"

The man looked up, his face bleak and drawn, and did not speak. He staggered on, towards the house of Jabin the king of Hazor, and Yarikh-ahavah saw that his leg was gashed and that he left a trail of blood drops upon the fine stones of the street.

"Why does my son delay?" she said, dread rising in her heart.

"He collects the spoils of war for you as he promised," her maidservant said.

"Yes," Yarikh-ahavah said, forcing a smile to her lips. "That is surely the reason. The host of Hazor dallies, choosing a girl or two from the captives for each warrior, and Sisera is taking his share, rich fabrics to adorn me, as he said." She turned from the window, and made herself not twist her hands together. "Striped cloth from Egypt, and veils from Tyre dyed with purple, that is what he is seeking. He will return soon."

Walking from the window, she took the best of the cakes drenched with honey from the plate laid out with her food, and went to crumble it before the terephim. _A hundred lambs_ , she thought. _Only send him back to me_.

"Madam, madam!" another of the maidservants cried, "I can see the dust of a great multitude upon the road! Does not the army come home?"

The girl was lying over the window sill, leaning out precariously far to gaze towards the gates of the city. Yarikh-ahavah laughed, for it was not within her to chastise her maid for such shamelessness when she herself had called down to the passing soldier.

"May the Lord Hadad be praised," she cried, "who sends the host to us this day! Do you see the chariots?"

“Not yet, madam,” the maid said, straining to see further.

Yarikh-ahavah and her other maids sang with joy at the thought of Sisera come home at last, and they did not see the smile drop from the face of the woman who watched as the approaching host came clearer in her sight.

Waiting for their chariots to come home, the gate guards of Hazor ran too late to bar the way to the woman-led host that came in their stead.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The image for today is _The Mother of Sisera_ by Albert Joseph Moore, taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/the-mother-of-sisera
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _‘Out of the window she peered,_  
>  the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice:  
> “Why is his chariot so long in coming?  
> Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?”  
> Her wisest ladies make answer,  
> indeed, she answers the question herself:  
> “Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?—  
> A girl or two for every man;  
> spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera,  
> spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,  
> two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?” 
> 
>  
> 
> \---Judges 5


End file.
